Reference stand



April 23, 1940. p, UNGER ET AL 2,198,356

REFERENCE STAND Filed Feb. 1, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 f Fwy.

April 23, 1940.

P. UNGER ET AL REFERENCE STAND Filed Feb. 1, 193g 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

April 23, 1940. p, Q UNGER ET AL 2,198,356

EEEEEEEEEEEE ND Filed Feb. 1, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet s @ZtOFW Patented Apr. 23, 1940 PATENT OFFlCE REFERENCE STAND Paul 0. Unger, Elm hurst, and Fred D. Wedge,

Lombard, 111., assignors to Wilson-Jones Company, Chicago, 111., a. corporation of Massachusetts Application February 1, 1936, Serial No. 61,952

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a reference stand particularly. adapted to support a loose leaf binder or bound book in position to facilitate reference a to the sheet contents of the binder for summarizing data entered on the sheets and for posting additional data thereon.

It is an object of this invention to provide a reference stand of this type with means for supporting the back and one cover of a loose leaf or bound. book, in which the supporting means may be adjusted in accordance to the thickness of the sheet contents retained adjacent the other cover to maintain the sheets exposed for reference in a plane parallel to the plane of the last mentioned cover.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a reference stand of thistype with means for supporting a line guide that may be adjusted to maintain the line guide parallel to the top exposed surface of the sheets regardless of the total thickness of the sheets upon which the exposed sheets rest.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a reference stand with means for supporting a loose leaf binder in closed, open or half opened position. Other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of the stand with a loose leaf binder supported thereon in half opened or referenceposition;

Figure 2 is a side elevation'of the stand with parts broken away;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the stand with parts broken away; and v Figure 4. is a detail sectional view of the means for guiding the adjusting lever.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a flat platform supported in inclined position by a base member comprising a front wall 3 and a pair of inclined side walls 4 and 5. The side walls I and 5 are provided with peripheral flanges 6 and 'i to provide additional support for the inclined platform 2 and other mechanism to be hereinafter described. The base member is preferably provided with a plurality of members 8 to support the base member out of contact with the top of the desk or table onwhich the stand may be placed. The members 8 may be metal, but are preferably formed of rubber or similar cushioning material to protect the surface on which the stand is placed.

The inclined platform 2 is provided with flanges El extending along the front edge and also along the side adjacent the side wall 5. The flanges 9 are spaced above the platform 2 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the cover of the binder for which the stand is designed so that one cover of the binder may be retained between the flanges and the inclined platform. A latch Ill is pivoted to the flange 6 adjacent the platform 2, as indicated at ll. The wall 4 is provided with an elongated aperture [2 through which the latch It moves. The latch I is provided with a flange 13 which lies in the same plane as the flanges 9. A finger piece l4, secured to the latch It, facilitates movement of the latch toward and away from the edge of the inclined platform 2. When the latch It is in the position illustrated in Figure 3, a loose leaf binder may be readily positioned on the inclined platform 2 with two of the free edges. of one of its covers retained by the flanges 9. Inward movement of the latch It causes the flange it to embrace the third free edge of the binder cover to securely retain one cover of the binder in contact with the inclined platform. The latch I0 is provided on its underside with a projection l adapted to engage an aperture It in the flange 6 to hold the latch H1 in its innermost position. The latch It must be raised slightly to release the projection [5 from the aperture 16 before it can be moved outwardly. A pair of hinge plates ll is secured to the upper edge of the inclined platform adjacent the sides. A depressed seat I8 is hinged to the hinge plates H by means of a pintle Ill. The depressed seat may be formed from a single sheet of metal, but is preferably formed of two strips of metal, as shown in Figure 3. Each strip is. shaped to receive the back of a loose leaf binder in half opened or reference position and has one end bent back against the strip to reinforce it. The strips forming the seat [8 are each provided with a portion l9 extending away from the platform. A fiat plate member 20 is rigidly secured to the extensions 19 to support the other cover of the binder.

The plate member 26 and the depressed seat I may be adjusted angularly with respect to the inclined platform 2 by means of a link mechanism which includes a link 2i having one end pivotally secured to the underside of the plate 20, as indicated at 22, and its other end pivotally secured to a pair of links, 23 and 24, as indicated at 25. The other end of the link 23 is pivotally secured to a cross member 26, as indicated at 21. j

an elongated slot 4| in the side wall 4 and extends therebeyond sufficiently to enable the .user to grasp the end 45 to move the lever manually. The lever 35 is provided on its underside with a depending projection 42 adapted to engage a plurality of recesses 43 provided in the flange 5, and in the reinforcing strip e' positioned on the flange 6 adjacent the slot 4|, to hold the lever .35 in a plurality of predetermined positions. The lever 35 is also provided with a pair of projections 44 disposed on opposite sides of the flange 6 to prevent the end 40 of the lever from moving except in a straight line so the projection d2 may always engage one of the apertures 43. The pivotal connection 38 permits the end 45 to move in a straight line. A resilient strip 45 engages the top of the lever 35 adjacent the slot 4! to cause the projection 32 .to engage each aperture 43 with which it registers, to automatically stop the movement of the lever iil and to retain the seat 88 and plate 2E] in a plurality of predetermined positions. The handle 48 may be lifted against the action of the strip 45 when it is desired to move the lever.

The loose leaf binder supported on the reference stand includes a cover member 45, a pair of back sections 4'! hinged along their meeting edges, and a cover member 48. A plurality of sheets 49 impaled on the sheet retaining prongs 55 is supported on the cover member 45 which is secured in position on the inclined platform 2 by means of the flanges 9 and I3. The cover 48 supports a plurality of sheets 5i impaled on the sheet retainingprongs 52. The sheets 49 and 5! are preferably arranged in banks with the sheets of each bankin overlapped relationship with predetermined areas of each sheet exposed for reference.

4 When the sheets 49 constitute a small proportion of the sheet contents of the binder, the plate member 20 is disposed in its lowermost position so that the base of the depressed seat 58 is substantially parallel to the plane of the inclined platform 2, as indicated in solid lines in Figure- 2. If a substantial number of sheets 5! were moved over onto the prongs 55, the sheets would bulge considerably near the bindingedge because of the contour of the prongs. However, if the handle '40 is moved forward, the plate 20 and depressed seat 18 are tilted upwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, so that the prongs 5e are substantially perpendicular to the inclined platform 2. If the depressed seat and plate 20 were tilted to the dotted line position of Figure 2 when the sheets 51 constituted a substantial proportion of the sheet contents of the hinder, the sheets 5! would not stay in position on the prongs 52 and would fall down on the sheets 49. It will be understood that the position of the depressed seat It and the plate member 293 may be adjusted between these extremes in accordance with the relative thicknesses of sheets 4 and 55 so that the upper surface of the sheets 49 is always parallel to the plane of the inclined platform 2, p

A bracket 53 is secured to the flange l adjacent each of its front and rear edges. A keyed bolt 54 is secured. to the upper edge of the bracket. Each bolt has a projecting portion upon which one end of a flat bar 55 is pivotally mounted. A nut 56 frictionally retains the bar 55 in adjusted pivoted position with respect to the fixed bolt 54. The bars 55 are reinforced by means of a cross piece 5'! having its opposite ends secured to the bars 55 centrally thereof. 58, non-circular in cross section, is pivotally secured to the other ends of the bars 55 by means of bolts 59.

Arodl One edgeof the rod is preferably roughened or serrated, as indicated at 60. A hoiusing 6| (not shown) retained in contact with the surface 50 and adapted to be'rotated by means of a knob 52 accessible from the outside of said housing. Rotation of the knob 62 causes the housing 5! to move along the rod 58. The housing 6| is provided with a bracket 63 rigidly secured thereto. A line guide 64 is secured to the bracket 63 by means of a plurality of rivets 55. The line guide is preferably formed of wood and is provided with beveled edges 66 to facilitate reading of data from the sheets across which the line guide extends. The housing is also provided with mechanism (not shown) operated by a knurled wheel 67 and adapted to adjust the angularity of the line guide. The particular mechanism for moving thehous'ing along the rod and the mechanism for adjusting the angularity of the line guide do not constitute any part of this invention and are fully described in Patent No. 2,077,677, issued April 20,1937, to G. H. Dawson,'P. O. Unger and F. D. Wedge.

The pivotal mounting of the bars 55 on the bolts 54 permits rotation of the rod '58 about the axis of such bolts to bring thehousing 6| in the plane of the top exposed surface of the sheets 3.9 regardless of" the total thickness of the sheets. The pivotal mounting of the rod 58 permits rotation of the housing 6| to bring the line guide 64 into parallelism with the top exposed surface of the sheets 49 so as to facilitate the reading of data therefrom. When it is desired to expose a different bank of sheets, the line guide is merely lifted out of the way and the binder may be manipulated as desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have devised a simple and efficient reference stand adapted to securely retain a loose leaf binder in position with any of the sheets exposed for reference that, may readily be adjusted inaccordance with the relative position in the binder of the sheets to be exposed, Although we have described a preferred embodiment of our invention in detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit-or scope of our invention. We do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described, except as limited by the appended claims.

We claim: p

l. A reference stand comprising a base, an inclinedplatforrn supported upon said base for supporting a binder, a depressed seat adjacent the upper edge of said platform. adapted to receive the backof said binder, and a member adjacent one edge of said depressed seat movable with respect to said platform and adapted to supporto-ne cover of said binder.

2. In .a reference stand, an inclined platform adapted to support a binder, a depressed seat adjacent the upper edge of said platform adapted to receive the back of said binder, a plate member adjacent one edge of said depressed seat adapted to support one cover of said binder, and means to adjust the angularity of said plate member with respect to said platform.

3. In a reference stand, an inclined platform adapted to support a binder, a depressed seat pivoted adjacent the upper edge of said platform and adapted to receive the back of said binder, and means to move said depressed seat angularly with respect to said platform.

4. In a reference stand, an inclined platform adapted to support a binder, a depressed seat adjacent the upper edge of said platform: adapted to receive the back of said binder, a movable plate member adjacent the upper edge of said depressed seat adapted to support one cover of said'binder, a pair of bars secured to one side of said stand, a rod extending parallel to one side 5. In a reference stand, an inclined platform adapted to support a binder, a depressed seat adjacent the upper edge of said platform adapted to receive the back of said binder, a plate member adjacent one edge of said depressed seat adapted to support one cover of said binder when the covers of said binder are in open position, said platemember being pivoted with respect to said platform, link mechanism connected to said plate member, and a lever connected to said link mechanism to adjust said plate member in accordance with the thickness of sheets on each side of said binder.

6. In combination, a reference stand including an inclined platform, a depressed seat hinged to the upper edge of said platform, and a line guide extending across said inclined platform, and a,

binder having a cover and a plurality of sheets supported on said inclined platform and a back section supported in said depressed seat, said depressed seat being movable to adjust the position of said back section "relative to said cover whereby said sheets are maintained in a plane parallel to the plane of said inclined platform to facilitate use of said line guide in reading of data from said sheets.

7. In combination, a reference stand and a loose leaf binder supported thereon, said stand including an inclined platform, a depressed seat pivoted adjacent the upper edge of said inclined platform, and a plate mem ber adjacent the upper edge of said depressed seat, said binder including a back section supported in said depressed seat, a cover member supported on said inclined platform and a second cover member supported on said plate member, said back section having secured therein a plurality of sheet retaining prongs, a plurality of sheets impaled on said prongs with some of said sheets supported adjacent each of said covers, and means to move said depressed seat and plate member to adjust the position of said prongs to maintain the sheets adjacent said first mentioned cover member parallel to said inclined platform and to retain the other sheets in position adjacent said second mentioned cover member.

8. In combination, a reference stand comprising a pair of spaced supporting members, a bookhaving one cover and a group of sheets supported by each of said members, and a line guide extending across the exposed surface of one of said groups of sheets, means to adjust the angularity of one of said supporting members with respect to the other to maintain one of said groups of sheets parallel to the plane of one of said covers, and means to adjust said line guide to maintain said line guide in a plane parallel to the exposed surface of said group of sheets across which it extends.

9. In a reference stand, a platform adapted to support a binder, a plate member spaced from said platform and adapted to support one cover of said binder, means to move said plate member angularly with respect to said platform, and means to stop said first mentioned means automatically in a plurality of predetermined positions.

10. In a reference stand, a platform adapted to support a binder, a seat adapted to support the back of said binder, means to move said seat angularly with respect to said platform, and

means to retain said seat'in a plurality of predetermined positions.

PAUL O. UN'GER. FRED D. WEDGE. 

